An Unexpected Reunion
by pandasize
Summary: Ever wonder how Raph would react when Joi Reynard just shows up at Casey and April's wedding at the end of 2k3 Season 7? Wasn't she suppose to be dead after the the Ninja Tribunal arc? This one-shot attempts to answer those questions and provide a fun look into what happens when Raph sees Joi once again.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own TMNT and I do not make money off of this fic.

**A/N:** This story has been cleaned up to follow FF . net rules. If you want the full smutty version, please visit Adultfanfiction . net under the "Comics" section OR The Lair (a TMNT, fanfic, fanart multimedia forum). Links available on my author's profile. Reviews will be loved and appreciated! Thanks!

* * *

There were few things in life that could stop Hamato Raphael dead in his tracks. He was a tough son of a gun who had battled brutal alien races, slain mythical monsters, and even once gallivanted through the prehistoric era on the back of a dinosaur. Not many people could boast of such fearless feats, and this no-holds-bar turtle was certainly proud that it took something truly exceptional to get him off his game.

_Exceptional._ The perfect word to describe how Joi Reynard looked at Casey Jones and April O' Neil's wedding. Five foot nine in black stilettos and wrapped in an emerald green mini dress made of shimmering dragon scales, the captivating blonde was dancing hypnotically under white Christmas lights lining the backyard reception.

Raphael nearly choked on his whiskey when he zoned in on his former crush. The day had been full of unexpected surprises - Casey Jones sporadically fainting from prenuptial nerves, Cyber Shredder and the Foot nearly ruining the wedding, and now this. The hot-headed turtle loosened his tie, which suddenly felt too tight around his neck. Joi was supposed to be dead. He could have sworn he watched her die during the final battle with the Shredder's heralds. Her last words to him had been forever seared into his mind, _"Avenge me, Raphael!" _

And he had. How could he ever forget it?

But his memories failed to explain why she was here now, looking more beautiful and livelier than ever at (of all places) his best friend's wedding. The heartbreak, the anger, the mourning… had it all been for nothing? Had her promise to look him up in New York if they had survived the battle been simply lies to appease a mutant that she actually pitied? A loud crashing noise suddenly interrupted Raph's tumultuous thoughts. "Don't worry, everybody! I'm fiiine!" a familiar Brooklynite slurred.

"Damn it, Case..." Raphael readjusted his tie and slammed his drink back down on the table. The answers he was seeking would have to wait.

* * *

After her third glass of champagne, Joi finally allowed herself to get lost in the music. It was the first time in a long time that she had actually laughed or had so much fun. For the past few years, Joi had been trying to piece her life back together after her incredible journey with the Ninja Tribunal. After the final showdown with the Shredder's heralds, she was almost dead, but the shishos miraculously conjured the mystic energies necessary to nurse her back to health.

This near-death and supernatural experience changed Joi's perspective on life entirely. She had always been the warrior nomad type - a driven and focused woman who constantly traveled the world with her equally powerful teammates, Adam, Tora and Faraji, to deliver justice to evil. Yet through all the years, she had been so caught up with her work that she had neglected one very important aspect of her life: family.

The first thing Joi did after regaining her health was visit her dear Aunt Chiyo in Kumamoto, Japan. This was the woman who single-handedly raised her after her parents perished in a car crash while she was still an infant. Unfortunately, the prodigal niece's reunion with her mother-figure was bittersweet. Aunt Chiyo was, of course, elated to see her precious Joi, but Joi was devastated to discover that her aunt was diagnosed with terminal cancer. As the only daughter Aunt Chiyo ever knew, Joi immediately took a break from traveling with her team and simply spent the last two years taking care of her aunt until her most recent passing.

* * *

"Hey, Joi!" Michelangelo yelled over the thumping beat of the music.

"You alright?!"

"Yeah!" the dancing woman relinquished her sad memories and snapped back to the present. "Sorry, too much champagne!" she smiled and made up an excuse as to not dampen the mood of the celebration.

"Know the feeling, dudette!" Michelangelo winked before doing a couple of body rolls that had Joi in stitches. The orange clad turtle had no problems lighting up a room, or dance floor for that matter, and he looked utterly ridiculous in his enormously large orange bow-tie. Joi inwardly thanked Adam and Tora for badgering her to RSVP to this wedding just to get her funk and out of the house.

"I'm so glad you came!" Michelangelo grabbed her by the waist and proceeded to dance with her. He was definitely a very friendly and happy drunk. "My bros and I really missed all the acolytes!"

"Aww, Mikey...I've missed you guys too!" Well, she missed one particular turtle the most, but she didn't want to admit it aloud. She was vaguely aware of a slowly brewing disappointed from his absence all day. "I'm so glad I got a chance to catch up with all you guys," she continued and then added casually, "It's too bad Raph has been so busy with best man duties..."

Shining bright blue eyes shifted with hesitation for just a split second before he smiled again. "Well you know, Raph. He-"

"Can I cut in?" Joi heard a greasy voice crawl into her ear and felt a rough slap against her ass. She spun around to see a smirking, barrel-like rhinoceros beast donning traditional Japanese robes. Two beady eyes looked her up and down in the most unpleasant manner. _Ugh. Gennosuke._

With a quick flick of her wrists, Joi's _kotegashi_ had the lumbering offender slammed into the dance floor. "Touch me again, and I'll break your wrists. Understand?" she hissed into his twitching ear.

Gen nodded, eyes watering in pain. "Y-yes!"

"Good," Joi stood and smoothed out her dress. First the Cyber Shredder and his goons and now a mutant pervert. Had she known this wedding would require so much physical combat, she would have simply arrived in her favorite green track suit and sneakers. Joi turned to Michelangelo and apologized. "Sorry to cut our dance short, but I'm suddenly need another drink."

* * *

Raphael grunted as he held up the staggering groom. "Dat's it! I'm cuttin' ya off, Case! April's gonna kill da both of us if ya pass out on your wedding."

"Ape…she's so….beautiful….I'm da luckiest guy in da woooorld…" Casey rambled, barely able to make his way down the hall.

"Yeah, buddy. She's great," Raph expertly maneuvered around his best friend's flailing limbs and tried to push him towards the master bedroom. "I need ya ta sit down and drink some coffee." He had to get Casey away from the other guests before he could embarrass himself any further.

"Having a little trouble there, best man?" Leonardo grinned as he passed by his struggling brother.

"Go away, Leo," Raph scowled. "I got dis."

"Casey Arnold Jones!" April's voice rang clear as a bell, stomping towards them to yank the groom by his lapels. "Are you _drunk_?!"

"Baaaabe!" Casey's face lit up, unable to comprehend his bride's rage. "I love ya so much..."

"Raphael! You were supposed to be watching him!"

"April! I was, but uh..."

"Agh! I can't take my eyes off either of you for even a second!" April huffed. She impressively took on all of Casey Jone's slumping weight by herself, bridal gown and all, and slowly hauled the inebriated man towards the bedroom. "If you want something done right, you got to do it yourself..."

Raphael watched the two disappear into their bedroom before exhaling loudly.

"Yep, you _definitely_ had that, bro." Leo joked as he uncapped the bottle of sake in hand.

The forest green turtle gave his older brother the stink eye. "What's wrong, Leo? Tired of flirtin' wit Lil Miss Shreddah ta piss off Doctah Chaplin?"

"Nothing wrong with catching up with an old friend," Leonardo said dismissively before taking a sip of his sake straight from the bottle. Raphael smirked. Leo had had a few too; he could see the flush behind the green. "Did you get tired of staring at Joi?"

Raphael's smirk instantly faded. "Cut da crap, Leo." He snatched the sake bottle away and took a few generous chugs for himself. "You're drunk."

"Speak for yourself," the turtle with the blue bandana smiled and took his bottle back before walking away.

_What an ass, _Raphael grumbled to himself as he continued down the hall. If Casey was going to call it a night, he was too. But all at once, a door swung open and a green and blonde blur crashed straight into him. "What da shell?!" Raphael growled before his eyes met a painfully beautiful face. Joi had emerged too quickly from the bathroom and ran right into him, stumbling into his powerful arms.

"Whoa! Sorry! I didn't see you there-" her voice caught when she recognized him "...Tough Guy." Her startled expression melted away into a nervous smile.

Raphael's mind swam. Her smile, her touch, her little nickname for him- it was the worse possible time for all the booze had had drank to hit him at once. "You..." he could barely get the words out as confusion and anger competed for the upper hand within him.

"Wow... you got really...tall," She remarked openly, green eyes fluttering with surprise. He could smell the alcohol on her breath. Joi was barely holding on to sobriety herself. "Er... I mean...how's it going, Raph?!"

The overly casual question broke something within him. Powerful, three fingered hands gripped her arms a little tighter. "_How's it goin'?_" He repeated in disbelief, eyes narrowing into sharp slits. "Are ya shittin' me, Goldilocks?! I thought you was _dead!_"

"Hey!" In her own uninhibited state, Joi reacted defensively to his anger. "Good seeing you too, jerkface! Clearly, I am not dead!"

"HOW?!" he almost shook her.

"The Ninja Tribual revived me," she mumbled, trying to get out of his grip.

"And ya nevah told me?!" his face was inches away from hers, teeth gritted so hard, she could almost hear them. "What da shell happened ta lookin' me up in New York like ya said?!"

"I-I wanted to, but..." Pride swelled against her chest. She couldn't talk about Aunt Chiyo and end up crying about it at a wedding. She became frustrated instead. "Don't get an attitude with me, Raphael! I don't owe you all the friggin' details about my personal life!"

"I AVENGED YOUR DEATH!" he roared back. "Da least you could do was tell me you were ALIVE. You know what I went through-" he cut himself off. Pride wouldn't let him go any further either. "Ya know what? Forget it." He pushed her away hard, nearly sending her back against the opposite wall. "I. DON'T. CARE."

Joi scowled and stepped forward to deliver a harsh shove back. "Don't you push me. It's not a fight you'd want."

"You don't have a clue as ta what I want," The bulky turtle in the black tux closed the distance between them. A large finger poked her roughly against the shoulder, and his voice lowered severely. "And no one tells me what ta do. Got it?"

Joi knocked the large, provoking hand away and opened Raphael to receive a punch to the plastron. The gargantuan turtle growled and launched himself at her. Emotions and fists were flying as they began to spar right in the hallway.

"Who invited you ta dis wedding anyway?!" he barked between blows.

"Michelangelo! He invited all the shishos and whatever acolyte was still around!"

"Mikey?!" He dodged a kick aimed right at his face. "Why dat little..."

"Don't talk about him! He was actually happy to see us, after all we'd been through-"she jumped over his leg sweep.

"Yea, afta all we been through, _you_ nevah called!" he thundered. "You coulda just said you weren't interested, Joi! I don't need no pity!"

"What?!" She gasped as he nearly grabbed her arm and took her balance. "What are you talking about? I really did want to visit you! Why do you think I'm here now?"

"Why now though?" A firm grip closed in on Joi's wrists and pinned her arm behind her back. "Afta all dis time...Why like dis?!"

The sharp pain and his persistent prodding broke down her last wall of defense. "Aunt Chiyo had _cancer_," she finally blurted out. "I didn't even have time to see my own team." She felt his grasp loosen in surprise, and Joi took advantage of Raphael's evident confusion to spin around and land a solid strike to his chin. "So _excuse me_ for not vacationing in New York because the only mother I ever knew is _dead_!"

Tears were streaming down her face now, and Raph felt like a total ass. It hadn't been about him at all. She had gone through something truly devastating and he had never even considered that possibility. "Joi..." He rubbed his jaw, though her words hurt more than the hit. "I'm sorry . I didn't know..." His voice was strained to a whisper. "I-Ijust missed ya so damn much..."

Panting from adrenaline and emotion, Joi wrapped her arms around herself and looked away. Raphael cautiously approached her and slowly came in for a tight embrace. "Forgive me Joi...I didn't mean ta...I had no idea..."

Moments passed in silence as he just held her there, letting her process his words until she had stopped crying. "I-I missed you too," she finally surrendered. "I'm sorry too...I should have told you sooner. Forgive me too?"

He nodded and bent down to nuzzle her hair. The alcohol and adrenaline was doing something to him that he couldn't stop.

"Raph..." Joi's mind was racing. Wrapped tightly around her, his arms felt like they were chiseled from granite. The young woman felt her face flush at the sudden desire to see him without his tux, like old times.

It was then that he noticed her scent changing greatly. It was sweeter, thicker, and Raphael recognized it as arousal immediately. His instincts took over and he smash his lips against hers, a low growl reverberating in his chest.

Joi didn't fight it; it was what her body wanted after all these years. Raphael ignited a spark that made her feel alive. Her hands desperately explored his rock-hard body beneath his suit, while his tongue explored her mouth. It was only a matter of seconds before they were both recklessly stumbling and feeling their way down the hall, entwined in a blind kissing and groping fury. End tables were toppled. Family portraits were skewed. And an old vase was shattered, but neither cared.

Raph slammed Joi against the door to his bedroom, one hand fumbling for the keys in his pocket, while the other eagerly ran up her dress to feel the smooth thigh inching up his hip. Heavy foot steps could be heard tromping up the stairs. Donatello and Michelangelo's voices were chatting away loudly in rapid approach. "Oh god...hurry Raph," she pleaded softly in his ear.

Just in time. The door flew open, and they ducked in before Raphael kicked the door shut behind him.

* * *

Bright sunny rays crept through the blinds and stirred Raphael from his slumber. He had slept like a rock, and his body still felt completely refreshed and recharged from last night's activities. Rolling over with the idea to engage his new lover in a pre-breakfast romp, the newly risen turtle was greatly disappointed to find nothing but a note upon her pillow. He did a double take and scanned the room rapidly. Her pile of clothes on the floor – gone. Her shoes – gone. He reached up and grabbed the note, nearly tearing it apart as he unfolded it.

_Morning Tough Guy,_

_Sorry, I had to take off so early. Didn't want my team to freak out if they couldn't find me in the morning. Anyway, I really enjoyed catching up last night. If you're ever find yourself in Kumamoto, look me up. Besides, I'm going to need these back, so don't forget! →_

_-Goldilocks_

There was an arrow drawn on the bottom of the note, directing him to the nightstand where her intricately carved hairsticks had been neatly laid out. Raphael smirked and reached over to inspect the delicate tokens she had left behind. They were laced with her heavenly scent. He fell back hard against his pillow with a slight grin on his face. "I nevah forget, Joi..."


End file.
